In a thrilling encounter, the Lions handed the Markhors their first defeat in the Champions One-Day Cup, winning by 35 runs at Iqbal Stadium, Faisalabad, on Friday.
Led by Mohammad Rizwan, the Markhors failed to chase down the 368-run target set by Shaheen Afridi’s team, who opted to bat first after winning the toss.
The Markhors struggled after Fakhar Zaman’s dismissal for 82 runs off 72 balls and Rizwan’s quick exit for just 20. However, Abdul Samad played a crucial innings, scoring 42 runs off 37 balls, followed by a powerful performance from Salman Ali Agha, who hit 69 runs off 39 balls, including seven fours and four sixes.
After Salman’s dismissal, the Markhors were left with only two wickets in hand and needed 52 runs to win. They managed to push the match to the final ball, finishing at 332/9.
Earlier, the Lions posted an impressive 367/6 in their 50 overs, supported by a strong opening partnership of 110 runs between Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, who scored 52 off 64 and 51 off 56, respectively.
Despite losing both openers to Zahid Mehmood, the Lions maintained momentum with contributions from Omair Yousuf (30 off 33) and Mohammad Taha (31 off 37). The match turned with an explosive partnership between Irfan Khan and Khushdil Shah, who combined for 147 runs, hitting 10 fours and eight sixes. Khushdil scored 73 off 45 balls before being dismissed by Mohammad Imran.
Irfan Khan’s stunning century, made off just 56 balls with 10 fours and five sixes, highlighted the Lions’ innings.
Playing XI
Lions: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Taha, Irfan Khan, Khushdil Shah, Aamer Yamin, Shaheen Afridi (captain), Mohammad Asghar, Sajjad Ali (wk), and Ahmed Daniyal.
Markhors: Bismillah Khan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Abdul Samad, Mohammad Imran, Zahid Mehmood, Shahnawaz Dahani, and Mohammad Imran.